East campus plans seem to ease worries about grad housing
Some graduate student leaders say they are optimistic about big plans to revamp east campus now that MIT has signalled that it will make up for the beds that will be lost in Kendall Square after the Eastgate graduate family housing building is demolished.
Three MIT research teams receive Department of Energy awards
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs (NEUP) awarded five million dollars to an integrated research project led by Professor Charles W. Forsberg ScD ’74 of the department of nuclear science and engineering. Forsberg, NSE Professor Lin-wen Hu, and collaborators from University of California at Berkeley and University of Wisconsin at Madison received extended funding for their commercial high-temperature salt-cooled reactor, according to the MIT News Office.
Doctors confirm Braintree facility patient does not have Ebola virus
Fears about the deadly Ebola virus spread to Massachusetts this Columbus Day weekend, prompting holiday press conferences and reverse 911 calls to reassure a jittery public after two Ebola-related scares.
CORRECTIONS
An article in the Friday, Oct. 10 issue about Maseeh Hall and DormCon incorrectly stated that Maseeh’s residents would pay a total of $10,000 per year to DormCon in taxes if the dorm were a member of the body. In fact, it would pay $5 per resident per semester, or about $5,000 per year. This is not one third of Maseeh’s budget.
With growing edX role, some students skeptical
Some MIT classes, using edX, have moved toward a blended model of education, integrating in-person and online learning. According to both students and instructors, this effort has made students’ college experience more flexible, but not without other flaws.
News Briefs
This past weekend, several MIT groups hosted engineering and hackathon events on campus. While HackMIT and Hacking Arts were returning annual events, this year marked the first appearance of MIT’s Maker Faire. Although independent from one another, the gatherings were all centered around building and sharing technical projects.
Maseeh still forgoing DormCon membership
Representatives from Maseeh appeared at a recent Dormitory Council (DormCon) meeting for the first time since Maseeh seceded from the council in 2013, but Maseeh executives claim that they are not actively seeking to rejoin.
Better microscopy earns chemistry prize Chemistry Nobel Prize awarded to two Americans and one German
Three scientists, two American and one German, received this year’s Nobel Prize in Chemistry for circumventing a basic law of physics and enabling microscopes to peer at the tiniest structures within living cells.
Chemical spill reveals some flaws in MIT Alert
On Tuesday afternoon, a chemical spill in the Dreyfus Building (18) prompted the evacuation of the building and exposed problems in the campus-wide emergency communication process.
Murder charges against MIT alum dropped
Prosecutors dropped a murder charge against former Media Lab employee Geoffrey V. Wilson ’02 on Sept. 18. Wilson, who had been free on bail, was accused of shaking his baby to death in 2010.
Despite concerns, bitcoin startups get ample VC funding New startups announce investors
Even though concerns remain about the digital currency‚ staying power, bitcoin startups are attracting more dollars from well-known venture capitalists.
MIT Chapel undergoing major maintenance and renovations
The MIT Chapel has been temporarily closed for a substantial renovation process, which will include key restorations and upgrades to the more than half-century-old building.
Excess postdocs causes quiet crisis
The life of the humble biomedical postdoctoral researcher was never easy: toiling in obscurity in a low-paying scientific apprenticeship that can stretch more than a decade. The long hours were worth it for the expected reward — the chance to launch an independent laboratory and do science that could expand human understanding of biology and disease.
Investigation ensues after Harvard students receive death threats
This past Friday afternoon, hundreds of Harvard University students and affiliates received identical death threats via email from a “hotmail.de” address and a Google Mail address. The Harvard University Police Department (HUPD) reported no suspicious activity on campus immediately following the email distribution.
CORRECTIONS
In the October 3rd issue of The Tech, the article titled “MIT community reflects on recent deaths, ‘opens doors’” implied that the gathering was organized by Cru, when it was in fact organized by students in Cru. Students from several different Christian fellowships participated in the gathering.
Bexley demolition to begin next summer
The demolition of Bexley Hall is projected to take place in the summer of 2015 according to MIT, but the site will have a temporary use before a permanent structure is built there.